When women begin dating men, they have certain expectations of where the relationships will go. I’m not talking about marriage, kids and a house with a white picket fence, but when the dating is good, we assume this will lead to some sort of relationship.

In some cases, we’re right. The dates turn into Sunday nights at home watching “Die Hard” and eating Chinese food in bed together, and you no longer have to worry about who’s going to text first and if you’re going to see each other again.

In other cases, the cute dates and endless hours of conversations turns into nothing, and we’re left wondering what the hell happened and where on Earth we went wrong. Here are five simple reasons why things didn’t work out:

1. You were just an “in the meantime” woman.

An “in the meantime” woman is someone you have sex with until someone better comes along. You’re not the one, but for all he knows, “the one” might not come along for another two years. So, he needs something to occupy himself with in the meantime.

2. Your novelty wore off.

The unknown can be an exciting prospect to many men. Women who aren’t emotionally serious tend to get very boring very quickly. After all, half the fun of dating is getting to know someone over time.

My advice? Hold some cards close to your chest. He doesn’t need to see the entire deck just yet. Men have natural hunter instincts, which means making yourself too emotionally available makes everything a little bit easy.

Half the fun of the kill is the hunt. In relationship terms, that means don’t put yourself on a plate.

3. There’s someone else.

If he’s not spending his time with you, there’s a chance he is spending it with someone else. No amount of Facebook stalking or Instagram scrolling for clues will help you here. If you haven’t made it to the “exclusivity” talk, then now might be the time to bring it up.

Don’t be angry or aggressive, and definitely don’t ask him over text. Every woman has the right to know if someone she is seeing is still dating other women. If he is, then maybe now might be the time to run.

4. You were a challenge that he completed.

Men who like a challenge see women like video games. There are different levels and different cheats and codes to unlock certain compartments (if you know what I mean).

The more challenging a video game is, the longer a man will spend playing it. If he completes it in a few hours, chances are, he’ll take it back to the shop and swap it for another, more exciting one.

5. He’s just not ready for a relationship.

All men want to settle down eventually. Some men crave relationships. Others have alternative priorities, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Unfortunately for you, until they’ve checked certain items off their life to-do list, you’re just another woman who came along at the wrong time. Even men who don’t want relationships need someone to pass the time with.

But eventually, a guy realizes that dating is pretty expensive, and wasting money on a woman he doesn’t see a future with is not financially viable. Plus, he’s noticed the way you look at him, and he’s pretty sure if he keeps this going, you’re going to get emotionally attached.

So, what do you do when a man pulls away? Absolutely nothing. I once read that “If people need space, you should give it to them. If you don’t, you’ll get closer to them, and they’ll grow away from you.”

Retaliation is futile. In fact, he’s probably expecting it. When a man stops making effort, women start with the “Would you like to meet up?” messages, the casual phone calls and the three super hot Instagram updates to catch his attention. But, he saw this coming a mile away.

Contrary to popular belief, fighting for love rarely gets you what you want. Focus on your own life, and if what you had is worth saving, he’ll realize that. If he doesn’t, then I would be so bold as to say, he might not be the man for you.

They say you have to kiss a few frogs before you actually meet prince charming, which in non Disney terms roughly translates to “you have to date a few twats before you meet Mr Right”.

For women, this tends to mean that your 20’s are filled with a lot of trial-and-error dating, which consists of one dead end relationship after another, until you finally meet someone who doesn’t make you want to turn to drinking and/or violence.

Until then, there is a whole array of d**kheads which we can work our way through, and let’s be honest, if you say you haven’t dated at least one of the following, you’d probably be lying:

The Fear Of Commitment Dude

You know the one. This is the guy you date for a year who still won’t change his relationship status on Facebook, or so much as call you his girlfriend to his mates. He wants the perks of a relationship without the pressure of putting any sort of label on it. He doesn’t feel he has to text you every day, because he’s a “free spirit” and isn’t ready for all that serious stuff.

He will ultimately break up with you, because, despite the fact you’ve never so much as mentioned him meeting your parents, he’s inwardly paranoid that you’ve been organising your wedding since the moment you met.

The Patronizing 30 Year Old Dude

Eventually, every 20 something girl will make the executive decision to date an older man. She’s worked her way through enough “boys” who don’t know how to treat her right and decided that she needs an older, more mature lover. Someone who can afford to take her on fabulous dates and isn’t afraid of discussing the future.

The trouble with “older” men is that you’re now considered the “immature” one in the relationship. They don’t understand why you need to go clubbing, wear short dresses or get drunk on Apple Sours and before you know it you’re the one deemed not serious enough.

The “I’m Not Ready For A Relationship” But Is Dating Someone Else 2 Weeks Later Dude

There’s always one guy, who wants to “keep it casual” with you because of some half baked excuse or other. He’s just come out of a serious relationship or he’s focusing on his career right now (blah blah).

You date him because you’re fabulous and you’re sure that he’ll change his mind once he gets to know you. But, when true to form you fail to get him to commit you call it a day, usually on fairly good terms because lets face it, the boy already told you that he wasn’t ready for love.

It’s all fine. That is until one month later, you find out that Mr. I’m Not Ready is dating someone else.

The Overly Attached Dude

Then there are the ones who want you a little bit too much.

I know how this sounds… one minute we’re moaning that men don’t want to settle down and the next minute we’re saying they’re too clingy. These poor fella’s just can’t win.

But any girl who has dated an “overly attached guy” knows exactly what I mean. You’ve been on two dates and he’s talking about the future, tries to introduce you to his mum and texts you every waking moment of the God damn day. He’s constantly telling you he misses you (even though he was with you 30 minutes ago) and despite the fact you don’t even know his surname yet, he’s acting like you are the love of his life.

The Can’t Kiss For S**t Dude

It has been said that these creatures are the most deceptive of all, because on the outside they look just like me and you. Sexy, smart, clever, confident and witty. FINALLY a guy you can get on board with.

They drop you off at the end of your first date and lean in to make this good date even better.

Of course it’s only after he’s finished prodding your tonsils with his tongue that you work out how on earth this amazing catch is still single. At this point you ask yourself three questions: 1. Can I fix this 2. Is my lip bruised 3. I wonder if I change my number if he’ll get the hint.

The “I’m Not Like Other Guys” Dude

Guys who claim they “aren’t like other guys” are the worst kind of guys. They are the ones who know they are d***heads and make a conscious effort to cover it up.

The Cheapskate Dude

This is the classic “shall we go for a drive” guy. Because driving to McDonald’s for a milkshake and 6 nuggets is a hell of a lot cheaper than taking you to dinner.

If you agree to the drive you should know that date two will then be “do you want to come over for a movie” because why the hell should he pay £40 for cinema tickets and popcorn when he can download the damn thing for free and serve you those fancy chili crisps his mum brought last week.

The “Do You Really Need To Go Out With Your Friends” Dude

The controlling guy. He’s always complaining about something or other because he likes to establish his dominance whenever and wherever possible. A dog wee’s on a tree to mark his territory. A controlling man pisses all over your parade to establish his.

Despite his other very wonderful qualities, eventually you know you’re going to ditch him, because frankly, no grown woman likes being told what to do. Except in the bedroom maybe.